IMORTAL FOOTBALL CLUB ALBUFEIRA

Yesterday : Lusitano VRSA 0 - 2 Imortal. Any win after so long without one is a good win, but it was hard work against the bottom team. Report tomorrow.

Yesterday - Imortal 3 - 0 Odiáxere I couldn't go, bowls match the other side of Lagos. Short report on Monday.

Yesterday: Olhanense 0 - 3 Imortal that and defeat for Portimonense B last night means that Imortal are now just one point behind Portimonense B at the top of the table.

A quick note to say that Mario Duarte, a.k.a. Marocas, is currently the leading goalscorer in the Algarve League First Division with a tally of 11 from 15 games played. Walter Alves is Imortal's second top scorer, with 5 in 15 games.

IMORTAL 1 - 0 FC 11 Esperanças

A fairly average game that exploded in the 82nd minute. Imortal were 1-0 ahead and the game seemingly drifting away into the final ten minutes when visiting ´keeper Nélio Perieira, who was at Imortal for several years, totally lost the plot. He had made a routine catch from a corner and was ambling out to the edge of the area when, for some reason, he bashed an Imortal player on the head with the ball in both hands. From a distance we had no idea whether something was said to provoke him. The referee was only a few metres away and immediately produced a red card for Sr. Pereira. That sparked all kinds of pushing and shoving. Pereira was not unknown for his reactions when playing for Imortal, but this was above and beyond. Every player, substitute, coach and hanger-on were soon in a vast melée. Pereira was kicking and lashing out at all and sundry. It took perhaps five minutes for that first scrum to break up and calm down. But as Pereira finally trudged towards the tunnel past the Imortal bench, it kicked off again. Pereira was so enraged that at one point six or seven of his team-mates were physically holding him to the ground. The GNR woke from their slumbers to drag people apart, at which point Pereira waved a threatening fist in their direction. Not a good idea. More barging, pushing and shoving ensued. After fully ten minutes, he finally went into the changing rooms with a GNR man following him.

The referee then called captains and coaches together. It wasn't necessary to be able to hear what was said. Quite clearly the game would have been abandoned had anything else untoward happened.

The match finally resumed with Mario Duarte placing the ball on the penalty spot. Did he really mean to take such a poor one? Whatever, sub goalkeeper Victor Figueiredo  dealt with it easily. Several minutes of added time remained, during which Figueiredo was twice out of his area to make good tackles to deny Ricardo Tome and Martins, while at the other end the visitors centre forward Ivan Francisco, who had as we say been putting himself about a bit, got a bit of his own back when he inadvertently and painfully blocked a fierce effort at goal.

Up until the flashpoint, the game had been fairly ordinary. Imortal started well, with cross by Pedro Rodrigues met by the head of Herlander Tome which whistled just over the bar. The visitors were showing some enterprise, but to no effect. But even in the first ten minutes the free kicks were starting to mount up, heading towards a total of twenty in just the first half. But no yellow cards. Couldn't last we said and we were right. There were eight in the second half, plus of course the sending off.

Both defences were doing well. Imortal's league top scorer Mario Duarte was foiled by a good interception, Andre Vieira of the visitors saw a wind assisted shot sail high then totally wasted a free kick. Imortal midfielder Cintra should have scored with a close range header that he put wide. Overall, the 11 Esperanças had more efforts at goal than Imortal, but nothing to really trouble ´keeper Inacio.

Early in the second half Cintra shot just over the bar. More chances going missing. Then the visitors unveiled a long throw specialist, André Vieira, whose throw-ins were easily reaching the penalty spot. That did cause some problems in the swirling wind, with Inacio breathing a sigh of relief after he had missed one leaving Francisco to head just wide. Cintra had Imortal's first meaningful shot on target, but Pereira saved well enough. Midway through the half, Imortal went ahead. A slip by Cintra on the right wing, but he recovered to send a perfect cross over the defenders onto the far post, where Duarte headed firmly past Pereira. Duarte had been well marked up until then and had been unable to make his mark on the game. The 11 Esperanças responded with some swift counter-attacks. Substitute Fortunato Sampaio  drew a superb save from Inacio with a long range effort that was tipped over the bar.  Another attack by the visitors ended with Francisco making an air shot at a cross, the ball bounced around and it  was fortunate for Imortal that Pedro Rodrigues was on the line and kept his cool to heft the ball to safety.

José António, on a sub for Imortal, tested Pereira with fierce drive which was palmed over for a corner, then came the ten minutes of madness. I cannot find any video but there might be something on the Imortal Fans Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/imortalfans/ to which I have no access.

The report of the Algarve FA disciplinary committee this coming Thursday should make interesting reading.

Imortal's next game is away at Culatrense on Saturday. They play in the horrible Horta da Areia 'stadium' in Faro, a place I would not go to even if I was able.

Imortal Team : Inacio; Prates, Pedro Rodrigues, Mauro, Dragnev; Cintra, Coelho, Tomas Rodrigues, Alves; Duarte, Herlander Tome. Subs used : António, Santos, Ricardo Tome and Martins.

Match statistics (I might have lost count of free kicks!)

Free kicks conceded : Imortal 17, Os 11 Esperanças 16 + the penalty
Offside : Imortal 0, Os 11 Esperanças 0
Shots on target :  Imortal 4, Os 11 Esperanças 7
Shots off target : Imortal 5, Os 11 Esperanças 5
Shots blocked : Imortal 1, os 11 Esperanças 3
Corners : Imortal 4, Os 11 Esperanças 5
Yellow cards : Imortal 5, Os 11 Esperanças 3
Red Cards : Os 11 Esperanças 1.